Dragon Corps
by Glyph
Summary: Set in the World of Darkness (created by White Wolf publishers) Ginny, Seamus and Dean are inaugurated into a tiny but powerful mercenary band. The war against Voldemort, his mercenary Vipers and the hidden world of Vampires sets the three on the adventur
1. Old Friends

*** Characters in the following fic come from a variety of areas. The cast of Hogwarts are the creation of J.K.Rowling and kudos to her for finally producing that fifth book (please don't sue me!). The vampires of the Masquerade (that you won't find out about until later) belong to White Wolf publishers. The mercenaries however are mine, ALL MINE, MUWHAHAA… ahem. If you like this story please review, if you hate it I'm really interested in your views and if you see errors in my portrayal of the Masquerade you WILL review. ***

***      *      ***

Old friends and new acquaintances 

A warm summer breeze caught the tail of a black travelling cloak. It drifted through the grounds of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, weaving it's way through the leaves of trees. The black cloak followed the lines of a body that, while well toned, did not quite fill the garments adorned by the man. The man's eyes drifted over the trees and lingered on the glassy lake and then moved slowly upon the castle. As he seized his trunk and made his way up the winding path, a little winged creature flapping alongside him. Ethan Adonis was back at Hogwarts.

As Ethan reached the doors to the Entrance Hall they swept open to reveal a very old man. Tall with wrinkles and spectacles, most would think of him as some child's great grandfather. His name was Professor Dumbledore Headmaster of Hogwarts and he was Ethan's latest client.

"Punctual as ever Ethan, I always admired that in you my boy." said Dumbledore, his smile beaming as he shook hands firmly with Ethan who grinned back.

"The thought of making a late entrance did occur to me, but I doubted that I'd make an impression to the teachers four floors up." Said Ethan

"Ah yes well they are rather busy and strained at the moment," replied Dumbledore's sagely voice. "Just as you will be once you've had few good nights sleep in your new office. I feel that it will both surprise and prove its usefulness to you in a very short time."

Since the return of the dark lord Hogwarts had been a hive of activity, most of the teachers were involved in Ministry work and research. Constantly bombarded with owls the staff were performing counter measures, brewing potions and advising on spell work to the various departments of the Ministry of Magic, which had finally joined in the fight against Voldemort. Times were not as good as they had been a few years ago. It was now commonplace for Wizards and Witches to go missing, some into hiding…others just turned up dead.

This was the very reason Ethan was back at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore had coerced the Ministry of magic into bending the laws of duelling, thereby instating a new study group titled simply 'Duelling and Self Defence.' Dumbledore believed also that the teacher for this group combined with the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher students would stand a greater chance of staying alive after and during Hogwarts, as well as make up for the chaos Delores Umbridge had caused the previous year. For that reason, he hired Ethan.

"Tell me how was South America?" asked Dumbledore as he walked beside Ethan towards his office.

"Well let's see now… it was infested with trolls, kappas and piranhas with charmed teeth. But apart from that, the locals were really friendly."

"I thought you said you had no trouble during your work there." 

"Not terribly. South America seems to be a low priority on the Dark Lord's agenda. The Brazilian Ministry really appreciated our work and gave us these little trinkets." Ethan pointed to his wrist where a silver bracelet intricately weaved around his wrist and trailed between his fingers.

A little girl with a yellow dress in a painting on the wall giggled and waved at Ethan as he and the professor made their way through many corridors.

"Most interesting, dare I ask what it has been enchanted with?"

"Nothing. I'm not sure what to make of it. Maybe a shielding component, as its too irregular to use as a charm trigger or anything else like that."

"I trust you will find something of the defensive nature to imbue your trinket and a word of warning. The Ministry of Magic has mixed feelings about my decision to hire a mercenary as a teacher. I ask you to consider the implications of teaching students advanced weapon enchantments."

"I feel that making students carry around extra weapons wouldn't be a good place to start, as they will rarely find themselves in a tight spot with an arsenal of weaponry at their disposal. However, I am professor of Duelling and Self Defence, am I not?"

"Shrewd as always Ethan." Dumbledore answered, still with a serious look on his face.

"Then what I'll teach will be anything and everything to do with Duelling and Self Defence." Ethan finished leaving Dumbledore to his musing. He knew that Ethan had managed, in a roundabout way, to say that he would and would not do as he was advised. They had rounded the last corner and ahead lay, Ethan assumed, his office and classroom. Dumbledore faced him and shook his hand.

"For now I bid you farewell, I have many tasks at hand and probably won't see you until the sorting. I must say this though, for a Slytherin you show shades of benevolence previously unknown in that house. Therefore I must conclude hopefully, that the reason you were put into Slytherin was because you are a being of great ambition and one of complete disregard of rules. With that in mind I shall watch you and your students, very carefully." Dumbledore beamed his smile and with a swirl of robes drifted down the passage.

Ethan considered Dumbledore's last remark.

"Well professor, if your going to insist upon keeping an eye on my students it looks as though I must teach them to sneak Hogwarts just as well as I did." Ethan always liked a challenge and in his seven years at Hogwarts not a teacher, Filch, Mrs Norris or Hagrid had caught him.

"One is remembered if one is good, but to be perfect is to be unknown." Seth, Ethan's sprite dragon, chose at this moment to become visible again and poke his tongue out at Dumbledore.

Ethan turned to his office door and closed his hand around the doorknob. Holding his breath he closed his eyes and pulled the door open. Ethan's surprise could not have been greater. The entrance to his office had stairs leading down…

to the sewers.

"Oh the man's awfully funny isn't he Seth."

***      *      ***

"Seamus over here." Dean Thomas a sixth year Gryffindor caught the attention of his fellow sixth year Gryffindor, who promptly took the seat opposite him.

"Have you guys seen Harry? I didn't see him on the train." Seamus looked worried as he straightened in his chair. Harry Potter had been the talk of the school since the end of last year. Portrayed as a lunatic by the Ministry of Magic for nearly a year, the sudden revelation of Lord Voldemort's return and battle against Dumbledore and Harry had gone through the school like lightning. Seamus had doubted Harry's sanity for nearly half the year and had since apologised for his behaviour and kept out of Harry's way. He did still worry though for Harry's safety, just the same as all of his other fellow Gryffindors, several of whom had come under serious attack by Voldemort's forces and had escaped only scarcely.

"Sure thing mate," said Dean, "He's just with Hermione and Ron, near some of the other prefects."

Seamus looked down the length of the Gryffindor table and there indeed was Harry in between his two best friends with shiny badges.

"There you are Ginny. We didn't see you on the train. Where were you exactly?" asked Dean as a girl with fiery hair approached him and took the free seat next to him.

"Well you wouldn't now would you Thomas, for I am one of Hogwarts Elite!" exclaimed Ginny as she nodded down towards her chest. "The proud lineage of Weasley, one Quidditch captain, two Head boys, two tricksters of great renown and now a fourth prefect!" A silver prefect badge on her Hogwarts cloak shone brighter than a diamond. "Ok, I'm over the power trip, phew," breathed Ginny, her face flushing pink from reciting her brothers' titles. "I didn't catch you guys on the train. I wanted to ask you if you'd had a good holiday."

Dean and Seamus grinned at each other before falling into a flurry of bows and hand gestures.

"Oh noblest of queens!" cried Dean.

"Oh fairest of maidens!" whispered Seamus breathlessly.

"Thine grace and presence smote our most undeserving eyes!"

"Thou art forgetful lowly Thomas. Is it not true that our own ears cannot, shall not and will not ever comprehend the splendour that is Lady Ginny Weasley's most sanguine voice."

"Oh wise Finnigan, how learned thou art. Twas you who warned me of the hazardous curves of the fair maiden from which so many youths have fallen," snickered Dean.

"Ok that's far enough you two. Thespian acting or naught, I'll kick your arses next time you insinuate in any way or form that I sleep around," growled Ginny. "Then I'll take points off you." Dean and Seamus took their seats.

Seamus glanced over the teacher's table. There was Flitwick squeaking to Sprout from Herbology, Professor McGonagall and Professor Vector were in deep conversation as usual. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was pretending to listen to Professor Trelawney's palm readings and Snape was by himself.

"Who's the new guy talking to Snape? We don't need another replacement, Dumbledore already told us that professor Kruse from Germany got the dark arts job," asked Ginny.

Seamus' eyes leapt back to Snape at Ginny's comment. Indeed he was not alone; his face wore a very serious expression, as he talked to an old man with white hair. No. A young man with white hair, Seamus corrected himself. At that moment, the man shook Snape's hand heartily. 

"Ok, if that guy's teaching I'm not learning. You coming to unpack Dean, we get enough loathing from Snape without this new fu..."

"Sit down you idiots," hissed Ginny. "He might just be a guest of Dumbledore." Although her voice lacked conviction with that last remark. The man looked awfully comfortable at the head table and he wasn't seated next to Dumbledore.

"He can't be worse than Umbridge at least."

***      *      ***

At the Teachers table, things weren't going at all well for Ethan. Professor Snape seemed very fixated on telling Ethan how he should be teaching the students and what he should be teaching them. Ethan didn't particularly enjoy being ordered around again, but he did have a lot of respect for professor Snape. It was he after all, who had encouraged and supported him during his trials at Hogwarts, who never pushed him to be as vindictive to other students as his fellow Slytherins had been. He had understood that all Ethan had wanted to do was study magic and not simply for employment. Ethan had, during his time at Hogwarts, studied every form of magic he could come across. He made himself appear quiet and sometimes as though he was never there. Instead of hanging around the common room fire plotting against Gryffindor, Ethan spent his time reading… in the restricted section of the library. He studied hard during his time there and could even recite some of the books from memory. In his fourth year he imbued his robes so that they silenced the wearer completely and enveloped them in a shroud.

"Good afternoon sir, I don't believe we've met." said A voice with a slight accent.

Professor Snape who was midway through his favourite uses intimidation, glared at the interruption. Ethan however was grateful for the distraction and turned around to he face his other neighbour. She mustn't have been more than twenty in her years and she was giving him a most pleading look. Glancing over her shoulder he noticed Professor Trelawney and everything fell into place.

"Let me guess. You let her read your palms," Ethan whispered closely. "Rule number one; don't even pretend you're interested in her art."

"It would've helped knowing that a little sooner, but thanks all the same. I'm Sabina Kruse, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Did you attend Hogwarts?" Sabina's eyes lingered on Ethan's white hair.

"Yes, six years ago. Not too much has changed really. Ethan, by the way, Duelling and Self Defence. I guess I get to work closely with you. I'm glad its not one of my previous professors, they tend to treat you like you're still a student. Your English is quite good, how long have you been over here?" Ethan commended himself, not being one for small talk he was doing rather well. Then again it was this or professor Snape.

"This is my first year at Hogwarts. We have a very intense language program at my school near Bieleford. I'm told it is quite impressive." 

"Ja. Sie sprechen ganz gut Englisch. Wie alt sind Sie?" Asked Ethan in his best German.

"Thanks for complement about my English, I'm twenty-four years of age. Please don't say I look younger. I hate that pick-up line," replied Sabina with a smirk. "Oh and please use 'du,' think of me as a friend."

"I place little importance by age and a lot by experience. Welcome to Hogwarts and may your experiences here be as rewarding as your salary." Said Ethan as he took Sabina's hand and shook it warmly. "Oops!" Ethan's fork clattered to the ground.

"Allow me." Professor Kruse. As she reached down Ethan's eyes blurred as took in every feature of her body. 

Sabina had dark eyes and brown hair that went ever so slightly wavy at the ends. She was wearing robes of midnight purple with red edging, all cut to fit her sleek and powerful frame. Ethan determined that Sabina Kruse could indeed continue to be a formidable foe if found without her wand, despite what he clothes might suggest.

"Tell me is there anything you would like me to focus on with the students?" The Sorting couldn't be far away and Ethan refused to resign himself to speaking to professor Snape now. 

"The ah, Imperius curse, yes? The 4th years didn't do well on it last year according to the notes left to me. Could you help them?"

Ethan closed his eyes in thought. "I have a rough idea on how to help them with that."

At that moment the doors to the great hall swung open and admitted the new first years. 

***      *      ***


	2. Classwork

*** You know sometimes I worry that we write these disclaimers. I mean somedays I get the feeling that J.K.Rowling and her lawyers may have something better to do than to search through each and every fanfic out in the vast ocean of information that is "THE INTERNET!" Then reality sets in and I realise that of course her lawyers don't do it… MI6 takes care of it for them. So Mr Super Intelligence Agency how do you like this? The characters, world, and various laughable magic devices all belong to J.K.Rowling. The stuff from the world of darkness belongs to white-wolf publishers and due to default everything else (being the mercenaries) belongs to me. Hah you thought I wasn't going to write an introduction. You thought you'd pounce right when I was least suspecting it. Constant vigilance… oh and ah please review…***

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Classwork

The first day of school was always exciting for every student at Hogwarts, even those who were in the seventh year never tired from the infinite new spells animals and charms available in the magic world. Potions on the other hand had an audience with mixed views.

"Some people are only alive because it's illegal to kill them!" Dean growled as he and Seamus entered the great hall.

"Tell me again about that muggle law 'justifiable homicide,' I'm sure we could be acquitted by an understanding jury for that." Seamus was still seething over Snape giving him four out of ten for his holiday work.

"Hey what's that?" Dean drew Seamus over to a notice on the wall. On the parchment was long spidery writing spinning up from nowhere in particular to form a message.

"_Duelling and Self Defence, a study group aimed at keeping you alive longer. Run by Professor Ethan Adonis, Order of Merlin second-class, two times Peruvian duelling master and mercenary extraordinaire. Come along four till seven and wear colours you're comfortable with… How bout it?" queried Dean. "It's worth a shot, and if the guy's like Snape we can always quit I guess."_

"Quit what?" Ginny had just come over to them and glanced at the notice. "Oh him, don't worry. The third years got split up today for a practical and theoretical assessment in Defence Against the Dark Arts. He took the prac bit and they reckon his alright, quite fair with points too," finished Ginny.

"Its settled then, duelling here we come," and with that Seamus signed all their names onto the scroll, which were then sucked in and replaced with 'See you at 4.'

"What do you think the comfortable colours are about?" Asked Seamus. 

"Not sure, hey do you think we can spar against each other?" Ginny added hopefully to Dean.

"Certainly." Exclaimed Seamus as Ginny's eyes lit up. "Bat-Bogey's are exactly what would make Deany boy here a sight more handsome than he is now." And before Dean could react Seamus had ran partway up the Marble staircase towards Gryffindor tower, leaving a fuming Dean in his wake and Ginny laughing in hysterics.

***      *      ***

"Good afternoon fourth years. I am professor Adonis; I shall be taking you for some practical work in your Defence Against the Dark Arts occasionally. This is one of those times." Ethan paused and took the measure of his audience. Many of them shivered slightly in the wind. There always was a lot of it on the north tower.

"Last year your professor didn't even attempt to teach you how to throw off the Imperius curse. I shall begin and finish that work today!" Ethan let his words hang over his students and glanced over battlements to the ground below. 

"Now if you'll care to notice the door downstairs is locked and warded-" sparks flew from Ethan's wand as he locked the door amid cries of dismay "-and this class shall not leave until every person succeeds before my eyes."

"You can't make us do this." Piped up a Hufflepuff.

"Ironically that is precisely what this spell is intended for," Ethan stated blandly, "and should you choose not to try, you yourselves shall jump to your death, thus saving you the grief of somebody performing it on you later to make you do something heinous. Now all of you focus!" Horror beyond all comprehension showed in every face.

"But sir…" began another boy with dark hair.

"Ah very good Gregory, I admire volunteers. Come now, step up." Nothing further could've been on the poor boys mind but he soon found himself teetering on the edge of the battlements. Directly below him was a four hundred foot drop onto rocks. Pure fear charged through him like lightening.

"IMPERIO" roared Ethan.

The feeling of reassurance that falling would be a grand idea from the curse didn't even come close to working. Greg stepped back down to thunderous applause from the crowd. He had passed with flying colours. 

"Next? Ah yes you Sam." This time a rather lanky boy with what can only be called two left feet shuffled forward and onto the battlements

"IMPERIO" roared Ethan again.

The boy began swaying and after teetering on the edge, simply fell backwards into the tower. Ethan looked critically at his wand. "Probably the wind pushed him back on." He muttered under his breath.

Much the same process followed for the rest of the class, many came close to slipping off only to snap back and step down.

"I told you he wouldn't let anyone fall. We're idiots for even thinking he was serious," hissed a Slytherin called Dezmond to his cohort Alec. Unfortunately his comment reached Ethan's ears.

"Dezmond, you're next." Dezmond strutted straight up to the ledge. "Wait a moment boy, step down a second." Obediently but puzzled Dezmond obeyed. "Let's change this a tad…here take this knife and lets see if you can stop yourself from slaughtering Alec here."

 All the colour and bravado that had been in Alec's face blew away with the wind. In a blur of motion he race for the door and blew it apart at the same time. He then ran screaming down the stairway with Dezmond in hot pursuit swinging his twelve-inch blade.

"Hmm, that I guess raps it up for today. You may leave and…oh very well, fifteen points to Ravenclaw Gregory. Dismissed." And in three seconds they were.

"I think that went rather well, don't you think…Seth? Oh now where have you gone." Ethan checked his hood. Seth was still inside it but was curled up very peacefully. "Pathetic, you didn't even show yourself did you. You're nothing better than a common house cat."

 Seth yawned flames into Ethan's face, rolled over and went back to sleep.

"I knew I should've got an owl."

***      *      ***

"Where is she?"

 Dean sat in one of the chairs around the common room twiddling his wand impatiently. The boys had agreed to wait for Ginny before going down to the dueling class.

"It said four till seven and at this rate were going to get there at eight." Dean looked to his friend who for once was deeply immersed in a spell book. "Hey, earth to shamrock, what's gotten into you?"

The 'shamrock' came abruptly to earth and began distributing fireballs at Dean.

"Don't even start Dean. I'm one leprechaun you don't want to upset right now." Seamus turned down the heat and went back to his book.

"Look, so Lavender dropped you harder than a Gaelic Gobstone. I still don't get why you have this sudden urge to study. She ditched you because were snoggin with that Italian bird on your holiday not because of OWLs… by the way, did I mention nice work?" Dean knew Seamus' ego was almost as hungry as a Hippogriff, and needed constant feeding.

"Look, I figure that if Malfoy shows up and I can turn him into a ferret like Madeye did in our fourth year, my day won't be a complete disaster." said Seamus, who then turned his wand at a nearby glass and bellowed "Flaumig!" The glass sprouted hairs all over it.

"Close enough Seam. Ah, Miss Weasley. How nice of you to join us."

"Very funny Dean, do you know how long it takes to put on makeup?" Ginny glared.

"Yes and I think you've got far too much foundation and too little mascara." Seamus doubled up with laughter at Dean's girly voice.

***      *      ***

Cold slate surrounded the space designated for dueling. Ethan had been hoping for something a little more sophisticated from Dumbledore, but he reasoned that one shouldn't complain in times as troubled as these. Located deep in the dungeons beneath the potion rooms lay the intricate systems of piping for Hogwarts' storm-water drains. The juncture between eight of these pipes formed a cavern: twenty metres wide, fifty metres long and fifteen metres high. Ethan had spent the better part of the summer holidays enchanting each individual stone to withstand the high energies given off by misfired spells. 

"INCENDIO!" Flames shot out the tip of Ethan's wand and slammed into the stone, leaving it glowing red briefly. "What do you reckon Seth? Strong enough, or maybe I should try something with a bit more strength?" Seth clapped his hands and smiled gleefully.

"Very well. FEUERFAUST!" This time a huge fireball erupted from Ethan's wand flew at the wall and then bounced back. Ethan's muscles screamed as he made his legs hurl him towards the ceiling, all the while Seth hurled himself into the path of the ball of fire.

GULP!

Seth lay down on the ground; smoke streaming out his ears and a dazed smile on his face. Up on the ceiling Ethan had found some hairline cracks to serve as handholds.

"I distinctly remember telling you that magic fire is terrible for your metabolism Seth. I don't care how tasty you think it is."

"Excuse us, is this the dueling club?" Ethan swiveled around and craned his neck to see thirty or so students looking back at him. Letting go of his handholds he dropped headfirst to the floor, turning his body halfway down to land lightly on his feet.

"It most certainly is, come in, come in. Don't mind the Peruvian Pocket Drake, he's just digesting." Ethan began to sort them into two lines against opposite walls according to height. Ginny giggled at Seth waddling away to sit on a small pipe, whilst his various organs tried to deal with the fire at 1500 degrees centigrade.

"Have you guys seen anything so cute?" asked Ginny when she had gotten over her giggles.

"Yeah, that fifth year Hufflepuff over there." Dean got a punch in the ribs from Ginny.

"Damn!" Hissed Seamus, "Malfoy ain't here and… neither are any of the other Slytherins. What are they playing at?" Dean shrugged; it didn't make any more sense to him than it did to Seamus. Normally this kind of study would be right up a Slytherins alley. The three's pondering was cut short as the professor reappeared with a large tray.

"As I come around to each of you, would you kindly choose a stone with the animal of your liking." The tray was presented to each student in turn, whereupon they chose a stone with an animal picture carved into. There were cats and dogs, tigers and dragons, lizards and eagles as well as many more. When the tray reached Dean, Seamus and Ginny, they respectively chose a tiger, dragon and an eagle. Ethan vanished the tray and stood in the middle of the chamber to address the group.

"Excellent, now if everyone can lean with their backs on the wall we shall begin. Great, now take your stone and on three place it picture down on your forehead. Ready?" Staring bewildered at each other the class orientated their stones and held them at the ready. Ginny shot a glance at Dean for an answer, but he looked equally unsure at the professor.

"One, two, three."

FOOMPH!

Blue lights rippled through the students' heads and bodies, slamming them against the wall. Ginny was about to scream when as soon as it had begun, it was finished.

"Congratulations everyone. You have just completed eighteen years of Kung Fu training." Informed Ethan as he went about helping some of the smaller students to their feet. "However, most of the techniques you now know require stamina and strength you will have to work for. Once everyone is back to their senses we shall begin the training course."

Seamus was indeed having trouble with his senses not to mention memory. Part of him told him that he had spent all his life supporting Quidditch teams and learning about magic. The other part said he had lived in a monastery ever since he was born and was taught Kung Fu by the man he saw now before him. But that was impossible, the professor didn't look more than five years his senior.

"Here we go." Everyone felt like a hook had suddenly grabbed their navels, as they swirled through space and time.

***      *      ***


End file.
